Facts have emerged in the Report of the Senate Panel that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation and Petroleum Marketers duped Nigerians of not less than N784 billion through surplus volume of fuel importation of petroleum product of about 5.9 billion liters in 2017 alone.
This was contained in a report submitted for consideration by the Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream.
But the report was rejected by the lawmakers who described it as lopesided and biased.
According to the report submitted by Senator Kabiru Marafa for consideration, NNPC claimed it importes 1.206,900,000 billion litres of fuel monthly and the daily consumption of fuel in the country is 35 million litres daily.
Marafa also revealed that marketers were to bring into the country about 3.8 billion litres of PMS at landing cost of N133.
In order words, marketers were to serve the country for about 109 days at 35 million litres daily in 2017.
Marafa said: “The implication is that NNPC has five days surplus every month, 60 days surplus in a year, added to the marketers’ 109 days supply, gives a total of 169 days supply surplus at 35 million litres/ day or 5.9 billion. The question is who consumes this surplus before we ask of subsidy. “
But senators that contributed to the consideration of the report argued that the report looks as if it was written from the angle of the NNPC.
Speaking against the report, Senator Stella Oduah said the report should be stepped down because it is biased.
According to Oduah: “We should step down the report.
“This is unfair report and extremely biased report.”
Also Senator Dino Melaye while kicking against the Marafa committee report, said if the Senate decided to adopt the report is like empowering corruption in the oil industry.
Melaye wondered how NNPC could be paying subsidy on petroleum product without the approval of the National Assembly, which has power to appropriate.
Melaye said: “If we adopt the report, it will continue to empower the corruption in the oil industry.
“The report is energizing the corruption that is ongoing in the NNPC.
“Money has been released by the Minister, which is not appropriated, and what we promise the country is respect for the rule of law.
“Millions of dollars has been released without appropriation.
“The constitution must be respected.”
The Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator God’swill Akpabio, carpeted the report, saying it does not represent the integrity of the Senate.
Akpabio said: “I sincerely commend Senate President efforts on the fuel scarcity situation.
“The Chairman of the Committee on Petroleum Downstream should withdraw his report as it doesn’t meet the requirements.”
Senator Adeola Olamilekan in his own contribution said: “There’s fraud in NNPC, Ministry of Finance that needs to be investigated.
“We need a full blown investigative hearing because they are syphoning Nigeria’s money.”
After exhaustive debate on the report, the Senate asked the committee to go back and do holistic report on fuel scarcity and probe how 5.9 billion litre of fuel was used in 2017.
The Senate also asked its Committee on Public Account to investigate payment of subsidy by the NNPC.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, said: “In the seventh Senate, this issue of fuel subsidy is a topic that I spent a lot of time on.
“It was my motion that brought this topic to the national discourse.
“So, it is something that I can speak on.
“There are three issues here that we need to separate: even as we speak now, there are still queues.
“The issue of the ongoing scarcity is one problem that the Committee needs to go back to look into so that Nigerians can be reassured that this will not reoccur.
“Problem number two is that the subsidy is important, however, based on the figures that have been presented, it is clear that there is a bigger fraud that is being perpetrated.
“This is because the amount of PMS that is allegedly coming into Nigeria cannot be consumed by Nigerians.
“At the end of the day, it is Nigerians that are paying for this subsidy fraud because it is not transparent, and it is only being run by one organization.
“At the end of the day, it is Nigerians that are paying for this subsidy fraud because it is not transparent and it is only being run by one organization.
“The third problem deals with the principle of MDAs incurring expenditures without approval by the legislature.”